King Pharmaceuticals and Acura Pharmaceuticals Announce Completion of Patient Enrollment for Pivotal Phase III Clinical Trial Evaluating ACUROX™

Business Wire, April 24, 2008

About Acura Pharmaceuticals

Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in research, development and manufacture of innovative Aversion([R]) (abuse deterrent) Technology and related product candidates.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements which reflect managements' current views of future events and operations, including, but not limited to, statements pertaining to the expected timetable for the release of top-line data from the pivotal Phase III clinical trial evaluating ACUROX([TM]) Tablets and submission of the NDA for ACUROX([TM]) Tablets with the FDA; the expectation that ACUROX[TM] Tablets will be the first approved immediate-release opioid treatment for relief of moderate to severe pain that is uniquely designed to deter common methods of abuse; and plans to develop other immediate-release and extended-release opioid pain medicines. These forward-looking statements involve certain significant risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Some important factors which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include dependence on the successful development of ACUROX([TM])and other immediate-release and extended-release opioid pain medicines; dependence on King's and Acura's ability to release clinical data as planned; dependence on the timely submission of an NDA for ACUROX[TM] with the FDA; dependence on the companies' ability to continue to advance the development of its pipeline products as planned; dependence on the high cost and uncertainty of research, clinical trials, and other development activities involving pharmaceutical products in which the companies' have an interest; dependence on the unpredictability of the duration and results of FDA review of Investigational New Drug applications (IND), NDAs and/or the review of other regulatory agencies worldwide that relate to products in development; dependence on the availability and cost of raw materials; dependence on no material interruptions in supply by contract manufacturers of products in development; dependence on the affect of the potential development and approval of other new competitive products; dependence on unexpected adverse side-effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of the companies' drug candidates that could slow or prevent product approval or market acceptance (including the risk that current and past results of clinical trials are not necessarily indicative of future results of clinical trials). Other important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements are discussed in the "Risk Factors" section and other sections of each of King's and Acura's respective Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, which are on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The companies do not undertake to publicly update or revise any of their forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes show that the indicated results or events will not be realized.